The Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary at Andrews University is launching three new initiatives impacting the Master of Divinity (MDiv) Program. With a new concentration, another dual degree, and a cohort offered entirely in Spanish, the Seminary is opening even more doors for training opportunities.

The MDiv Urban Ministry Concentration is devoted to helping students engage more fully in urban contexts. Pastoring in major cities can seem like a daunting task, but with this concentration, emerging pastors will be able to enter metropolitan areas with better tools and resources. Furthermore, when pastors graduate and begin working in the field, professionals will continue to support them, mentoring them in their first few years of ministry.

The Seminary is also rolling out the fourth dual degree program: the MDiv and Master of Health Administration. The other three degrees already available to be paired with the MDiv are the Master of Social Work, the Master of Public Health, and the Master of Science in Community and International Development.

There has long been a need for an integration between healthcare administration and pastoral ministry, and this is the beginning of that bridge. With this dual degree, students will be able to serve in spaces where the healthcare administration and pastoral mission of the church intersect. It will also open doors to even more job opportunities for students to work not only as pastors but also as healthcare managers, administrators, chaplains, and even in private and governmental healthcare settings.

Lastly, the MDiv is debuting a cohort taught entirely in Spanish. This program, which is a collaboration with the Florida Conference, is the first of its kind in the North American Division (NAD). It is an advanced degree for those who already have the Master of Arts in Pastoral Ministry and would like to get an MDiv.

"This historic move has a great potential to help pastors in the field to receive a superior education. This new visionary approach will be very useful to the pastors in their ministerial work,” notes Jiri Moskala, Seminary dean.

Fernando Ortiz, MDiv Program director, says, “The new MDiv cohort will give Spanish-speaking pastors top-notch education and tools to take their ministry to a new level as well as a platform to move onto doctoral-level programs or chaplaincy endorsement. Completing the MDiv is a dream come true for many.”

“The Florida Conference is excited to begin this partnership with the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary to heighten the education of our Hispanic pastors and bring their academic and biblical knowledge to the next level. We are happy to start this educational chapter in our conference,” shares Alan Machado, president of the Florida Conference.

The need for more well-trained pastors in the NAD is great, so programs like these will help even more pastors get access to higher education. Andrews University looks forward to seeing how God will use these new programs to equip more leaders for ministry.

The original version of this story was posted on the Andrews University website.